What the rumours say we'll see at Apple's WWDC

The keynote of Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference is always
one of the most important tech events of the year -- and in 2012 it
looks like we'll be seeing a host of big announcements concerning
operating systems, Mac computers, and even the future of
television.

Well, that's according to the rumours at least. Only Apple knows
for sure what it will present during its WWDC kick-off.

When it comes to the specific agenda items of any Apple event,
there's always a deep divide between what Apple discusses publicly
beforehand -- ie, practically nothing -- and what the technology
press presents as conventional wisdom. Sure, there's a lot we can
reasonably expect to see at this year's keynote. Details on new
versions of iOS and Mac OS, for example, are almost certainly going
to be revealed. The WWDC has become Apple's de facto "OS event,"
and that shouldn't change this year.

Beyond that? Well, we have to look at the bigger picture,
delving into what Apple has telegraphed in its public event
description, what the company has presented during past WWDC
keynotes, and what various tech sites are reporting from inside
sources.

So let's read some tea leaves, shall we?

Apple's official word
Details about Apple's keynote -- its very public press event --
are essentially nil. The event invite merely states, "It's the week
we've all been waiting for."

Of course, developers attending WWDC get their own event
schedules that have nothing to do with the keynote, but these are
under non-disclosure agreements. And even the developer-only
schedules are filled with sessions marked as "to be announced" --
it's near impossible to divine any helpful information from them,
though Daring Fireball's John Gruber tries here.

Nonetheless, Apple is actually somewhat forthcoming with what to
expect on its publicly accessible WWDC developer's
page. Here you can glean a bit of intel concerning the
company's most no-brainer-y announcements.

To no one's surprise, Apple will be demoing the upcoming
Mountain Lion version of Mac OS in its developer sessions,
according to the developer page. Developers can expect that the
sessions will "cover Mountain Lion extensively," diving into the
arcane machinations of AppKit, CoreText and other Apple development
frameworks.

The Mountain Lion update to Mac OS was announced
in February, so let's just go on the record and state that
we're 100 percent sure Mountain Lion will be presented onstage
during the WWDC keynote.

On the publicly accessible developer's page, there's also
information concerning iOS sessions. "Sessions for iOS developers
will explain how to develop fluid and realistic interfaces and take
full advantage of the iPad's Retina display," reads the language.
Of course, iOS 6 isn't mentioned by name, but we're almost certain
it will be demoed on stage during the keynote. It just wouldn't be
a modern WWDC without some kind of iOS announcement.

A history lesson
Apple's WWDC history is a bit spotty when it comes to hardware
announcements. While OS announcements and demos are usually
revealed at WWDC keynotes, hardware unveilings can be hit or
miss.

The last Apple computer announced at WWDC was a 15-inch
MacBook Pro in 2009. Before that, the Mac Pro was announced in
2006. The upshot? Despite fresh rumours that we'll be seeing new
Macs (we'll get to these soon), a look back in Apple history
doesn't bode well for summertime computer announcements in
2012.

Likewise, if you're hoping for a new iPhone to be announced, you
might want to curb your expectations immediately. Apple usually
releases a new iPhone every 12 months. The iPhone 3G, 3Gs and 4
were all announced during summertime WWDC keynotes (in 2008, 2009
and 2010 respectively). But that precedent crumbled with the iPhone
4S, which was announced in October 2011.

It's highly unlikely that Apple will announce a new smartphone
only eight months after the release of the 4S. Plus, throwing the
iPhone back into the mix would pull the focus away from, well, just
about anything else Apple wants to spotlight (and read this article
in total --there's a lot the company could potentially
spotlight).

As for iOS, Apple showcased
iOS 5 at WWDC last year, and there's no reason why the company
wouldn't continue the trend this year. WWDC is Apple's grand
developers' conference, and offers the best possible opportunity to
get app developers up to speed on the future of iOS, and all that
it can do. Even more pertinent, an iOS teaser at WWDC gives
developers time to get all their apps ready for a Fall iPhone and
iOS release.

This was the formula that Apple executed last year, and it
propelled the iPhone 4S to unprecedented levels of smartphone
success.

So that's what WWDC history tells us about what to expect. But
if we've learned anything from Apple's iPhone 4S launch --
specifically, the possibility that it was ostensibly "delayed" from
June to October last year -- it's that Apple precedent doesn't
always inform Apple execution.